Goaltender John Gibson set career highs for victories with 31, save percentage (.926) and games (60) in 2017-18, earning an eight-season, $51.2 million contract extension Saturday that will keep him in uniform through 2026-27. He said Tuesday he expects to play for a contender for years to come in Anaheim.

In his first public comments since signing the deal on his wedding day, Gibson said he expected the Ducks to rebound from an injury-riddled season that ended with a first-round sweep at the hands of the San Jose Sharks in April. He also said he believed the Ducks’ championship window remains open.

“You look at the team we have back, if we can stay healthy, I think we’re up there with anybody else,” he said during a conference call. “I think maybe people kind of doubt us a little bit because they say our core got a little older. But I think we all believe we’re more than capable to be there in the end and to bring a (Stanley) Cup (championship) to Anaheim.”

LUNDESTROM SIGNS CONTRACT

The Ducks signed Isac Lundestrom to a three-year entry-level contract Tuesday that will pay the 18-year-old center from Sweden an average of $925,000 per season. Lundestrom was the Ducks’ first-round selection (23rd overall) in the NHL draft in June.
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Isac Lundestrom speaks to the media after being selected twenty-third overall by the Anaheim Ducks during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

He was a member of Sweden’s World Junior Championship team that finished second to Canada in January in Buffalo. He also had six goals and 15 points with a plus 7 defensive rating in 42 games with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League in 2017-18.

It’s possible Lundestrom could return to play in Sweden next season rather than for the Ducks’ American Hockey League team in San Diego. He’s expected to attend their rookie camp next month and perhaps play in the inaugural six-team Rookie Faceoff in Las Vegas.

Elliott Teaford covers the Anaheim Ducks for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. He covered the Ducks for 12 years, including the Stanley Cup season, for the Los Angeles Times and the Daily Breeze before returning to the beat in 2018 for SCNG. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.